Heihe, November 19 (Xinhua) – (By Liu Xiju and Li Jingwen) On the 19th, reporters learned from Heihe Customs that since China implemented the 30-day visa-free policy for Russian ordinary passport holders, the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration has cumulatively ensured the smooth clearance of 133,200 Chinese and Russian passengers. Among them, after the opening of hovercraft transport at the Heihe water transport port in 2025, the number of Russian passengers increased by 169.53% year-on-year.
To further facilitate cross-border travel for Chinese and foreign nationals, from September 15, 2025, to September 14, 2026, China is trialing a visa-free policy for Russian ordinary passport holders. Russian ordinary passport holders coming to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, exchanges and visits, or transit for no more than 30 days can enter China without a visa.
Heilongjiang Province borders Russia. Heihe City and Russia’s Blagoveshchensk face each other across the Heilongjiang River and are known as the “Sino-Russian Twin Cities.” With the continuous effect of policies facilitating the entry of foreigners into China, coupled with Heihe’s border location advantages, the surge in Russian tourist flow through the Heihe water transport port is evident.
Since China implemented the 30-day visa-free policy for Russian ordinary passport holders, the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration has cumulatively ensured the smooth clearance of 133,200 Chinese and Russian passengers, a year-on-year increase of 66.92%.
“Since the hovercraft passenger service opened on October 27, there have been 1,135 inbound and outbound vessel trips, ensuring the clearance of 30,032 passengers. Among these, there were 506 Russian inbound and outbound vessel trips, a year-on-year increase of 109.96%; Russian passengers reached 17,304, a year-on-year increase of 169.53%,” introduced a staff member of the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration. Facing the dual challenges of continuously rising cross-border passenger flow and the transition from open-water passenger ships to hovercraft transport during the ice floe period, the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration anchored its goals on “zero safety accidents, zero clearance delays,” relying on three major measures: smart empowerment, safety foundation, and service quality improvement, to build an efficient and smooth “water golden channel.”
Addressing the challenge of traditional passenger ship transport limitations during the Heilongjiang River ice floe period, the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration scientifically analyzed transport patterns and precisely switched to the hovercraft passenger transport mode. Utilizing CCTV video surveillance, VHF communication, Beidou positioning, and smart maritime systems, it achieved full visual tracking of the 2-minute cross-border voyage. Through the “single window” electronic approval platform, it achieved 100% electronic operation and real-time progress synchronization for vessels entering and leaving the port, dynamically adjusted vessel schedules during peak passenger flow periods, successfully handled the single-day peak passenger flow of 1,884 persons, and increased transport efficiency by 39.5%.
Implemented a “two hundred percent” safety inspection mechanism, conducting precise safety inspections on hovercraft before operation and carrying out practical emergency drills. Strengthened special inspections of ship firefighting and lifesaving equipment and checks on crew competency, providing on-site guidance for navigation procedures in ice floe areas. Strictly implemented the “Thirty Hard Measures” and a 24-hour duty system, issued real-time warnings for ice floes and strong winds, and implemented a severe weather warning “call and response” mechanism. Maintained regular coordination with customs and border inspection, achieving direct delivery of weather warnings to vessels, real-time sharing of ice condition data, and rapid response for emergency rescues.
Comprehensively implemented the “single window” electronic approval for vessels, simplified filing procedures, and reduced approval times. Monitored passenger flow changes in real-time and reasonably adjusted vessel schedules to shorten passenger waiting times. Designated personnel were stationed at hovercraft sites to focus on checking whether luggage blocked aisles, whether ship load lines met standards, and whether life jacket allocation strictly complied with standards. Enhanced the Russian language proficiency of frontline maritime staff, ensuring transport safety and smoothness through “supervision + service,” allowing passengers to experience the convenience of “report upon arrival, inspect upon report, arrive and leave immediately” clearance.
Two months of practice have fully demonstrated that the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration, with its professional commitment and open vision, has forged an effective maritime practice path in the field of cross-border transport safety assurance. In the next step, the Heihe Maritime Safety Administration will focus on building a more resilient cross-border transport safety assurance system, using maritime professional strength to promote the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era between China and Russia to a higher level, and contributing the mission and responsibility of the “water national gate” to high-level opening up in the new era. (End)
